It was initially reported that Andor was going to play out over five seasons, with each of those devoted to a year of Cassian's life before we met him in Rogue One. It was an ambitious plan, and one that changed over time.
We're not sure when exactly that happened, but the two-season series now boasts a unique structure, with the first 12 episodes devoted to one year, and season 2 broken into four three-episode arcs with each of those covering the next four years. That obviously means we're getting time jumps in the show when it returns, leaving fans to wonder how that's going to work.
Talking to Collider (via SFFGazette.com), Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy explained, "Loud, soft, fast, slow, think, run, you want to balance all that stuff up. Job one is an adventure story. Job one is to make you want to turn the page or tune in next week. So, we have to tell an adventure story, and we have to keep things on the edge."
"But, the question that you ask, it's way too long to answer here. I don't know if anybody ever got to do this before, maybe someone's done it in a novel. I don't really know, I'd be curious. As writers, as dramatists, it has all kinds of really cool implications."
"It has a couple of things that make things difficult," he continued, "they have to be very brave about the negative space between the years, and you have to really trust the storytelling to not explain everything."
Gilroy would add to that by saying, "We have found out all kinds of things about it that are pretty interesting. That'll be a really interesting conversation if it works. Hopefully, it will work in two years."
So, it sounds like they're having to be very careful about how best to approach this format, with a lot of thought given to what we don't see between each time jump. While many fans were confused by the decision to tell Cassian's story over five seasons, there are those who now wish that was still the case after those stellar first 12 episodes.
Season 2 of Andor has started shooting and will premiere on Disney+ in 2024.